Method for controlling a decoder and decoder for implementing said method

Abstract

A method for controlling a multimedia decoder that can simultaneously access different programs from different sources and/or of different qualities, wherein the decoder can operate in a multitask mode such that it controls the display and/or recording of a first program simultaneously with the display and/or recording of a second program, wherein the decoder performs the following steps: the step of identifying the resources available for displaying and/or recording programs accessible by the decoder; the step of determining the resources required for displaying and/or recording each of the programs accessible by the decoder; and the step in multitask mode of inhibiting a displaying and/or recording control of one of these programs when the resources required by the ordered program are higher than the available resources of the decoder.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for controlling a multimedia decoder configured to simultaneously access different programs from different sources and/or of different qualities, wherein the decoder is configured to operate in a multitask mode such that the decoder controls the display and/or recording of a first program simultaneously with the display and/or recording of a second program, the method comprising:
 identifying available resources to display and/or record programs accessible by the decoder, 
 determining required resources to display and/or record each of the programs accessible by the decoder, 
 the decoder identifying the available resources and the resources required by each accessible program in the form of a quantity of required memory, and 
 in multitask mode, inhibiting a control to display and/or record one of the programs when the resources required by the ordered program are higher than the available resources of the decoder, the decoder inhibiting the control by blocking a communication with a remote server to request transmission of the program, and/or by blocking processing of the program transmitted by the remote server, generating an information message, by the decoder to a decoder user, to display at least one of the following elements: control inhibition information or a new control request, and simulating by the decoder, with relation to the remote server, a display of a transmitted stream, controlled by the remote server, when the information message is displayed. 
 
     
     
       2. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the decoder is configured to determine the resources required to display and/or record each accessible program according to the source and/or the quality of the accessible program. 
     
     
       3. The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the source of each accessible program is one of the following sources: A digital terrestrial network, a network using the IP (Internet Protocol) protocol, a satellite network, a hard disk, a demultiplexer, a fiber optic cable network. 
     
     
       4. The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the quality of each accessible program is determined by a bandwidth and/or by a format of the HD (High Definition) type. 
     
     
       5. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the decoder is configured to display and/or record a program whose multimedia content corresponds to the content of the ordered program with a different source and/or quality. 
     
     
       6. A multimedia decoder configured to simultaneously access different programs with different sources and/or different qualities, the decoder configured to operate according to a multitask mode so as to simultaneously control the display of a first program and the recording of a second program, the decoder comprising:
 a first module configured to identify resources available for displaying and/or recording programs accessible by the decoder, 
 a second module configured to determine resources required for displaying and/or recording each of the programs, 
 a third module configured to inhibit, in multitask mode, a control to display and/or record one of the programs when the resources required by the ordered program are higher than the available resources of the decoder, and 
 a fourth module configured to block a communication with a remote server to request transmission of the program and/or to block the processing of the program transmitted by the remote server, the decoder being configured to generate an information message to a decoder user, to display at least one of the following elements: control inhibition information or a new control request, the decoder being further configured to simulate, with relation to the remote server, a display of a transmitted stream, controlled by the remote server, when the information message is displayed.